Lightness and Substance

The work of Kiyomi Iwata appears as delicate as butterfly wings — but to endure, her materials, such as silk organza, must be girded with stronger stuff: aluminum, copper and brass mesh. “From Volume to Line,” at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond from April 3 to June 7, spans 20 years. Lately, “she has taken to weaving and sculpting with kibiso, a coarse substance that apparently every silkworm produces early in life when it's trying to figure out how to spin silk,” says Caroline Cobb Wright, director of exhibitions. “What a wonderful metaphor for life and any practice.” A native of Kobe, Japan, Iwata moved to the United States in the 1960s and took her first art class at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. After living in New York and elsewhere, she and her husband retired to Richmond three years ago. 353-0094 or visarts.org.